Dust bathing chickens

Chickens have an odd habit of bathing in the dirt.  They find a dry spot with a lot of loose soil and then scratch and flap their wings until their whole bodies are coated with a layer of dust.

Even though the idea seems counterintuitive to us, dust baths actually make a lot of sense in the chicken world.  Parasites (mites and lice) can build up on a chicken's body to the point where the birds get sick or even die, but a few minutes scratching in dry soil on a regular basis clogs the parasites' pores and causes them to suffocate.  I read a lot about red mites on other chicken keepers' blogs, but our chickens never seem to develop a problem, presumably because of their frequent dust baths.

Unless your chickens are closely confined, chances are they'll make a dust bath for themselves.  A patch of bare dirt combined with enough sunny days to dry off the surface is all it takes.

Some chicken owners go a step further, though, creating a dust bath box inside their chickens' coop.  That way, the flock will have a spot to dust bathe even if the weather is too cold or wet to allow outside bathing.  You can fill a planter, plastic storage bin, or wooden box with about six inches of soil, optionally adding in sand, diatomaceous earth, or wood ashes for even better results.  You can mix all of these ingredients into an outside dust bath too, but wood ashes will have to be replenished after every rain.

My final word of wisdom on chicken dust baths is --- don't think your chicken's dead if you find her in an odd pose out in her pasture.  I have to admit that I've been taken in by the post-flutter sunning period multiple times.  That chicken lying on her side with her legs and wings stretched out just doesn't look alive...but she is.